A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

OXYARTES. OXYTHEMIS. 75
death: but this act of parricide brought upon them OXYATHRES. [OXATHRES.]
the vengeance of Lysimachus, who made himself OXYCANUS ('OvKcav's), or PORTICANUS, as
master of Heracleia, and put both Clearchus and he is called by Q. Curtius, an Indian prince, whose
Oxathres to death. According to Diodorus, they territories lay to the west of those of Musicanus.
had reigned seventeen years; but Droysen assigns On the approach of Alexander he had not come to
their death to the year B. c. 285. (Memnon, meet him, or sent ambassadors to make his subc. 4 —6; Diod. xx. 77; Droysen, Hellenism. vol. i. mission to the conqueror. Alexander accordingly
pp. 609, 634.) marched against him, and speedily took by storm
5. A son of Mithridates the Great, who was two of his cities, Oxycanus himself being made pritaken prisoner in the insurrection of the citizens soner. The other towns in his dominions speedily
of Phanagoria, B. c. 64. He was afterwards submitted.
given up to Pompey, by whom he was led captive It has been supposed that in the latter part'of
in his triumph at Rome. (Appian, Mithr. 108, the names Oxycanus and Musicanus is to be traced
117.) the word Khawn or Khan, so that Oxycanus might
OXYARTES ('Ouvapr71 ) or OXARTES ('O- mean the Rajah of Ouche, Musicanus the Raiah
adpr's). Concerning the different forms of this of Moosh. To this it is objected that Khan is a
name see OXATHRES. Turkish title, and that there is nothing to show
1. A king of Bactria, said to have been con- that it was in use in that region at the time of
temporary with Ninus king of Assyria, by whom his Alexander's invasion. (Arrian, vi. 1 6. ~ 1; Q. Curt.
kingdom was invaded and conquered. The history ix. 8. ~ 11; Thirlwall, Hist. Gr. vol. vii. p. 48,
of this expedition, though doubtless a mere fable, note). [C. P. M.]
is given in great detail by Diodorus (ii. 6). He OXYDATES ('O~vM-r0s), a Persian of high
appears to be the same person who is called by rank, who, for some cause or other, had been imSyncellus and Eusebius, Zoroaster. (Syncell. p. prisoned by Dareius at Susa, and was found lying
133; Euseb. Arm. p. 44; Wesseling, ad Dzod.. c.; there under sentence of death, when the city fell
Baehr, ad Ctes. p. 405.) into the hands of Alexander. For this reason he
2. A Bactrian, father of Roxana, the wife of seemed the more likely to be faithful to Alexander,
Alexander the Great. He is first mentioned as who appointed him satrap of Media. In this office
one of the chiefs who accompanied Bessus on his Oxydates was subsequently superseded by Arsaces.
retreat across the Oxus into Sogdiana (Arr. Anab. (Arrian, iii. 20. ~ 4; Curt. vi. 2. ~ 11, viii. 3.
iii. 28. ~ 15). After the death of Bessus, Oxyartes ~ 17.) [C. P. M.]
deposited his wife and daughters for safety in a O'XYLUS (~COOvos). 1. A son of Ares and
rock fortress in Sogdiana, which was deemed im- Protogeneia. (Apollod. i. 7. ~ 7.)
pregnable, but which nevertheless soon fell into the 2. A son of Haemon (according to Apollod. ii.
hands of Alexander, who not only treated his 8. ~ 3, of Andraemon), and husband of Pieria, by
captives with respect and attention, but was so whom he became the father of Aetolus and LaYas.
charmed with the beauty of Roxana as to design He was descended from a family of Elis, but lived
to make her his wife. Oxyartes, on learning these in Aetolia; and when the Dorians invaded Pelopontidings, hastened to make his submission to the nesus, they, in accordance with an oracle, chose
conqueror, by whom he was received with the him as one of their leaders. He afterwards became
utmost distinction; and celebrated by a magnificent king of Elis, which he conquered. (Paus. v. 3, in
feast the nuptials of his daughter with the king, fin. 4. ~ 1, &c.; Aristot. Polit. vi. 2. ~ 5; Strab.
B. c. 327 (Arr. Anab. iv. 18, 19, 20. ~ 7; Curt. viii. p. 333.)
viii. 4. ~ 21-29; Strab. xi. p. 517; Plut. Alex. 3. A son of Orius, who became the father of the
47; concerning the discrepancies in these statements Hamadryades, by his sister Hamadryas. (Athen.
see Miitzell, ad Curt. 1. c. and Droysen's Alexander, iii. p. 78.) [L. S.]
p. 346). Shortly after we find him successfully OXYNTAS ('O06v'as), son of Jugurtha, was
interposing to prevail upon Chorienes to surrender led captive, together with his father, before the
his rock fortress; and at a subsequent period he triumphal car of Marius (B. c. 104); but his life
was appointed by Alexander satrap of the province was spared, and he was placed in custody at
of Paropamisus, or India south of the Caucasus Venusia. Here he remained till B. C. 90, when he
(Arr. Anab. iv. 21, vi. 15; Curt. ix. 8. ~ 9; Plut. was brought forth by the Samnite general, C.
Alex. 58). In this position he continued until the Papius Mutilus, and adorned with the insignia of
death of Alexander, and was confirmed in his royalty, in order to produce a moral effect upon the
government, both in the first division of the pro- Numidian auxiliaries in the service of the Roman
vinces immediately after that event, and in the sub- general L. Caesar. The device was successful,
sequent one at Triparadeisus, B. c. 321 (Diod. xviii. and the Numidians deserted in great numbers;
3, 39; Justin, xiii. 4; Arrian. ap. P/ot. p. 7 ], b.; but of the subsequent fortunes of Oxyntas we know
Dexippus, ibid. p. 64, b.). At a later period we find inothing. (Eutrop. iv. 27; Ores. v. 15; Appian,
him sending a small force to the support of Eumenes; B. C. i. 42.) [E. H. B.]
but after the death of that general, B. c. 316, he OXY'THEMIS ('O~vOEyiUs), a friend of Demeseems to have come to terms with Antigonus, who trius Poliorcetes, who was sent by him to the court
was content to assume the appearance of confirming of Agathocles, king of Sicily, with whom he had
him in an authority of which he would have found just concluded an alliance, ostensibly in order to
it difficult to dispossess him (Diod. xix. 14, 48). receive the ratification of the treaty, but with a
It seems probable that he must have died be- secret mission to examine the real state of affairs
fore the expedition of Seleucus against India, in Sicily. The death of Agathocles followed
as we find that monarch ceding Paropamisus to shortly after, aE e. 289, and it was Oxythemis who
Sandracottus, without any mention of Oxyartes. placed him on the funeral pile, as we are told,
(Strab. xv. p. 724; Droysen, Ilellenismn. vol. i. p. before life was yet extinct. (Diod. xxi. Exac.
520.) [E. H. B.] Iloesei. pp. 491, 492.) [E. I. B.]